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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25606903">Summer Slumber (Party)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blapblaps/pseuds/Blapblaps'>Blapblaps</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>If You Dare Universe [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Handsome Devil (2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Basically just an extended squad hangout, Friendship, Oneshot, Summer Vacation, dubious romance, established relationships - Freeform, it’s one am and I’m so tired, they’re all just hanging out and having fun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:13:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,611</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25606903</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blapblaps/pseuds/Blapblaps</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ned has all the puppies over to spend a week at his house during the summer! It’s fun, it’s cheesy, it’s romantic. Some things begin, other things end, and it’s all for the love of friendship.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>If You Dare Universe [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1855996</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Summer Slumber (Party)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I’m back, and faster than originally expected! I promised a oneshot before I posted Darcy’s spinoff series, so here you are, my lovely readers. I wanted to have one last hurrah with the whole crew before I age them up, and I loved writing it.<br/>Enjoy :)</p><p>Also I forgot to mention, if you’re new here, this is a little sequel to the long fic I wrote for Handsome Devil. I came up with a bunch of new characters and inserted personalities onto minor characters from the movie, so if you haven’t read it, prepare to be confused!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Ned can’t remember the last time he was this excited. Term has finally, <em> finally </em> ended, and for the first time in six years, he doesn’t have to spend the summer alone in his empty house. He never thought he’d get so lucky.</p><p>Darcy came home with him on the train, because there’s no point in making so many unnecessary trips to and from Berlin, where his mum lives. He joined Ned in his routine of deep cleaning the house, and while Ned thought it would feel strange and intrusive to invite someone he’s known for less than a year into his past, he soon realized it was anything but. Ned got around to filling him in on all the dark and ugly details of why he lives alone, and when Darcy stepped through the door, he only smiled softly before setting down his things and getting straight to work.</p><p>Ned had never spent his first moments of the holidays with someone there to witness his hesitation to climb the stairs, and instead of nervous and embarrassed, he was relieved. Darcy’s the perfect source of comfort, a stable force that keeps Ned tethered to the earth with his quiet consideration and determination to act like everything’s normal.</p><p>He didn’t ask why Ned washed all the dishes that collect dust in the cupboards, most of which they probably won’t get around to using, or why he cleaned the bed sheets that haven't been used in years. He just did what Ned asked him to, and unsurprisingly, he’s excellent at cleaning.</p><p>After the house is cleaned to a spotless shine, the windows thrown open, every corner and piece of furniture dusted and brought back to life, Darcy happily joins him in his tradition of popping open a bottle of old wine and curling up in front of the tv. It’s almost scary, how normal it feels to have someone stay in his childhood home, but Ned guesses that Conor, Victor, and Victor’s parents helped with the newness.</p><p>New normal, right.</p>
<hr/><p>It takes a couple days, but eventually the group gets coordinated enough to figure out who’s coming on what day, and now it’s only a matter of time before the house will be swarming with Ned’s favorite people on earth.</p><p>Conor shows up first because he’s the closest, and after checking in on his mum and helping her work through the beginnings of her divorce the best he can, there wasn’t much else to do. Darcy conveniently finds something to do around the house while Ned and Conor have a reunion after three grueling days of being apart, and Ned pretends he didn’t see him roll his eyes.</p><p>It’s another day or two of movies (Conor and Darcy get into a heated debate about who is truly the strongest Avenger,) Ned teaching them what little he knows about cooking a nutritious meal, and card games that go deep into the night. They all fit well together in a way that makes Ned’s heart grow three sizes too big for his chest.</p><p> </p><p>And then Wally and Sarah show up, and Ned’s more excited than tentative about the growing number of people in his house. Especially ones that can be so...lively.</p><p>Wally’s a hugger; the whole world knows this. What Ned didn’t expect, however, was his girlfriend being just as comfortable in the intimacy of strangers.</p><p>“Hi!” She says enthusiastically as she wraps her arms around Ned’s neck and pulls him into a hug. She’s endearingly strong. “I’ve heard so much about you, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” </p><p>Ned’s only taken aback for a second, as Sarah’s one of the few people in the country that can keep up with Wally, after all. He hugs her back, and it doesn’t even feel like this is the first time they’re officially meeting. “You too, you’re a legend.”</p><p>There’s an instant in which Ned thinks it’s a little outrageous that there’s this much hugging involved with people who saw each other a week ago, but the euphoria of being together without the restrictions of school has him brushing it off. It feels like a celebration, like these aren’t people he merely knows from classes and dorms with only the confines of education holding them together.</p><p>They’re better than friends; they’re family.</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, tell them about the time you stole our neighbor’s cat.”</p><p>“I didn’t steal him; I <em> saved </em> him!”</p><p>The five of them are sprawled out in the living room, eating the last of the delivery pizza and trying their best to beat the summer heat that’s creeping through the walls, even this late into the evening. Wally and Sarah are about to dive into another of their childhood stories on the couch, his arm draped over her shoulders no matter how many times she complains about the heat and tries to shrug him off.</p><p>Ned’s in one of the armchairs with Conor on the floor between his legs, playing with his hair from above. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of their tales, and wonders what somebody has to be born with to have life revolve around them in a way that makes for such good stories.</p><p>“Only you wouldn’t know the difference. Tell it, Sarah.” Darcy says from the opposite armchair, his legs draped luxuriously over the side. Ned sends a silent thank you up above every time he gets to see his best friend smile so easily.</p><p>Wally puts a hand in front of Sarah before she can tell it truthfully. “Okay, so, this cat was so sad. Like, the saddest creature I’ve ever seen, fuckin’ skin and bones like it hadn’t been fed in a year, and crawlin’ around like it didn’t have anywhere to go. It was obvious he wasn’t being taken care of properly, so I took him home!”</p><p>“He’s exaggerating, it was a neighborhood cat that went to everybody’s house and begged for food.” Sarah interrupts calmly.</p><p>“We all know you’re a compulsive liar, Wally.” Conor says, not bothering to open his eyes.</p><p>“That’s so rude! I don’t lie, I...embellish.”</p><p>Sarah takes her boyfriend’s hand and gently removes his arm, fanning herself with the other. “Whatever you wanna call it. So he kidnaps this cat and hides it in the shed, cause two people in his family are allergic.”</p><p>“How’d you know it didn’t belong to anyone?” Ned asks.</p><p>“Nobody ever said he was theirs.” </p><p>“It had a collar.” Sarah adds.</p><p>“Wally…” Darcy groans, though he doesn’t look remotely shocked.</p><p>Wally jumps to defend himself, only slightly startling Sarah. “Whatever! It’s not like anyone would’ve noticed if <em> somebody </em> hadn’t sold me out.”</p><p>Sarah addresses the room. “If that cat was sad before, you should’ve heard it crying in that dirty old shed.”</p><p>“I hung out with him.”</p><p>“Yeah and you had flea bites all over your legs, I remember.”</p><p>Once they’re finished berating a younger Wally for cat thievery, Darcy asks Sarah, “So how’d you get your parents to let you stay with all of us? From what I’ve heard, they seem pretty uptight.”</p><p>Sarah shrugs and without a hint of guilt admits, “I paid my sister to tell them she and I were going on a road trip together. She wanted to go on a holiday anyway, so I don’t know what the big deal is.”</p><p>A look of sheer admiration crosses Darcy’s face. He’s always had a soft spot for teen rebellion.</p><p>“Hey, Ned,” Wally starts, “When’s Victor coming? It’s not the same without my main man here.”</p><p>“I thought I was your main man.” Darcy says, but he only looks partially disappointed. </p><p>“You are, but he’s my other main man. We need the whole gang!”</p><p>Ned’s been rhythmically tapping on the top of Conor’s head from time to time to keep him awake. Nothing makes him drift off faster than a warm room and Ned’s fingers on his scalp. “He should be here sometime tomorrow. He said he has some exciting news from home.”</p><p>“Ooh, did he tell you what it is?” Sarah asks. Ned’s been catching her gazing at him and Conor with a softness in her eyes that he can’t describe, but he’s trying to get used to having his relationship on display around those he doesn’t know as well. She’s with Wally, so there’s no reason for him to distrust her.</p><p>“Nope, he likes the element of surprise, so we’ll just have to keep waiting in suspense.”</p><p>Darcy squints at Conor, looking a little sleepy himself. “I think your boyfriend passed out.”</p><p>Ned leans over to look at Conor’s face, and from his upside down angle, he can indeed verify that Conor’s gone; fallen asleep in an upright position with his arms crossed. Ned taps his chin to get him to open his eyes, and when he finally cracks them open, Ned asks, “Time for bed?”</p><p>“Mhm.”</p><p> </p><p>The group collectively decides to head upstairs to the rooms, and Ned wonders how Darcy and Victor are going to fight for the guest room. It’s a comfortable setup, no matter how familiar and “grown up” it feels. </p><p>As Ned passes the master bedroom, he hears Wally and Sarah opening up their bags and Sarah whispers, “They’re <em> so </em> cute together!”</p><p>“You’ll get used to it.” Wally says, and Ned softly leaves them behind, hiding his blush as he walks down the hall.</p><p>In the guest room, he finds Darcy flat on his back on the bed, and Ned thinks he’s already fallen asleep without the covers until Darcy opens one eye to look at him.</p><p>“Nervous?” Ned asks, leaning against the doorframe.</p><p>“About what?” He mumbles back.</p><p>“Take a guess.”</p><p>Darcy lets out the most half-hearted chuckle Ned’s ever heard and says, “I’ve virtually lived with him for almost a year, I think I can survive another week.”</p><p>Ned rolls his eyes. “Alright, but try to avoid any drama. Just relax.”</p><p>“I’m completely relaxed. There’s no drama.” </p><p>Ned joins him on the bed and they both stare at the ceiling. He’s not tired enough to go to bed yet. “Obviously.”</p><p>“Obviously.” Darcy parrots.</p><p>“Have you talked to him?”</p><p>“Not much, he likes to make time for his parents.”</p><p>Ned nods. “What do you talk about?”</p><p>He sees Darcy give him the side-eye out of his peripheral. “You should know perfectly well that we don’t talk about anything important.”</p><p>Ned loves him, but sometimes the back and forth grates on his nerves. “You gonna try to kiss him again?”</p><p>Darcy grabs a pillow from behind him to throw over his face and groans, “I don’t know, Ned, stop talking about it.”</p><p>“Hey, I just wanna be forewarned about another romance happening in my house!”</p><p>Darcy’s voice gets more muffled the harder he presses down on his face, and Ned’s vaguely worried he’d rather suffocate than have this conversation. “Stop, please. We <em> barely </em> kissed that <em> one </em> time, we haven’t kissed since and I have no clue if it’s gonna happen again. This is the last time I’m talking about it.”</p><p>Ned severely doubts that. “Do you want it to happen again?”</p><p>“I don’t know. I might die if it does.”</p><p>“Drama.”</p><p>“Sometimes the truth is dramatic.”</p>
<hr/><p>The next morning, the little family is scarfing down homemade pancakes and bacon like it’s what they were born to do. The kitchen’s a disaster thanks to their combined effort, but that’s fine. And it turns out that they needed many of the dishes that were previously in disuse, which makes Ned’s heart flutter like a caged bird. </p><p>He hasn’t had this in so long, outside of campus at the very least. (Almost) all of his friends gathered together at the dining room table, with nothing to do but decide how to spend the rest of the summer day. The fate of the world is up to them. It’s safe, it’s comfortable, and he’s starting to forget how new it feels.</p><p>The door opens from the front of the house, and though it’s not within eyesight of the dining room, no one has to guess who it is before a jovial, “I’m <em> here! </em>” Floats through the home.</p><p>Everyone but Darcy, and Ned, albeit a little slower (the fool didn’t even knock, but he can’t force himself to be affronted) rises up from the table to greet Victor at the door. Ned spares a look at his stationary friend, who’s tracing lines across the dark wood and pretending that there was no disturbance in the first place. He decides to leave Darcy to it.</p><p>In the entryway, Victor looks like an idiot. He’s wearing shades and a floral button up like he just landed in Hawaii instead of Ned’s northern home. Impossibly though, he makes it work.</p><p>As soon as he gets eyes on the host (Ned hates to think of himself that way,) he cries enthusiastically, “Edwin! The party’s arrived, and I even brought my own birthday present.” He unzips his bag to produce a bottle of champagne, and Ned thinks he spots a second one underneath it.</p><p>“Fabulous.” Ned deadpans, but he can’t help but smile. Finally, their group is complete. Ned gives him a hug and Victor does the best he can to embrace him and says under his breath, “Where’s Lynch?”</p><p>Ned nods near the back. “Moping in the kitchen.”</p><p>Victor doesn’t seem deterred, however. He puts his bag on the floor, which Ned then picks up for him, hands the bottle over to Wally who shouts, “Mimosas!” And makes his way over to the kitchen.</p><p>Ned has to see this, whatever it is. He creeps around the barrier that separates the dining room from the entry, and peaks around the corner, trying to keep his presence to a minimum.</p><p>Victor strides over to Darcy, who’s still sitting down and gives the taller boy nothing but a passing glance. Victor leans over to rest his elbows on the table, barely a few centimeters away from his face.</p><p>“Hi.” Victor beams at him.</p><p>Darcy rests his head on one hand and gives Victor a once over, looking expertly passive. “You look stupid.”</p><p>Ned doesn’t know what the big fucking deal is. They seemed normal enough in their last two weeks of term, and he hasn’t heard about anything remotely romantic or cringe-worthy happening since. Darcy’s probably just embarrassed to be at the center of Victor’s attention.</p><p>“You look awesome.” Victor responds, making no effort to move away.</p><p>Darcy looks to the side, and if it was Victor’s goal to make him flustered, he’s succeeded. “Shut up.”</p><p>Ned can’t imagine having Victor’s patience, or maybe he just enjoys Darcy’s prickly personality, because he tilts his head to the side and says smoothly, “What, Lynch, you’re not gonna say hi to me?”</p><p>It’s painfully obvious that Darcy’s trying not to smile back. He bites the inside of his cheek, sits up straight and responds coolly, “Hi, Victor.”</p><p>Victor bumps his shoulder, having won their war of attrition that Ned will <em> never </em> understand. “There we go.” He says triumphantly and stands up to his full height, and Ned wonders if he caught Darcy’s first intake of breath in at least a minute. “Want a mimosa?”</p><p><em> “Yes.” </em> Darcy says.</p><p>The scene over, Ned spins around before he gets caught spying and notices that the rest of the squad is behind him, seemingly having watched the whole thing right alongside him.</p><p>“Move!” He mouths to them, and they scatter, save for Wally, who races into the kitchen to pry open the bottle.</p><p> </p><p>By the time they get the cork out of the bottle, they’ve already finished their breakfast. Bless Ned for saving some for Victor; he would’ve offered to help, but whoever made these pancakes is a genius.</p><p>Darcy’s the one who ends up loosening it enough to pop off the cork and sends it flying to the ceiling, which Victor finds incredibly impressive. Ned clears off the table like the excellent host he is while Conor makes the drinks for them, and they’re settled around the table once again.</p><p>“So what are we up to today, gang?” Victor asks the group at large.</p><p>“Don’t say gang, you make it sound like we solve mysteries.” Conor says.</p><p>Wally’s already finished his mimosa and stands up to make another one. “You’re the birthday boy, you call the shots, buddy.”</p><p>“My birthday isn't till tomorrow, so we can have a consensus today.”</p><p>“In that case...Wally, did you bring DDR?” Conor muses, and Ned’s already rolling his eyes.</p><p>Wally’s eyes, on the other hand, light up. “Of course I did! Did you bring your PS3?”</p><p>“It was here, anyway.” </p><p>Victor wonders how long it’ll take before Ned and Conor just move in together, and he has a strong feeling that Conor won’t leave after the rest of them do.</p><p>Wally breaks out into a truly devilish grin, and downs his mimosa in one gulp. “Then it’s settled. How ‘bout it, Sarah, ready to get your ass kicked?”</p><p>Sarah crosses her arms and scoffs. Victor can feel the tension in the air rise immediately. “In your fucking dreams.”</p><p>Before they all migrate to the living room, Conor stops and says, “Oh, wait. Didn’t you say you had news from home?”</p><p>How could he have forgotten? In the excitement of seeing his friends all in one place, it slipped his mind. “Yes! My parents are gonna adopt a little girl pretty soon!”</p><p>Sarah gets it. Her mouth drops open and she exclaims, “Oh, I love that! More kids need to be adopted.”</p><p>Victor gives her a high five. “Exactly. They’ve been talking about it for years, and though I’m a little upset that it lasted until I leave for university, I’m pumped to be a big brother.”</p><p>“You’ve got what it takes, I believe in you.” Wally says patting him on the back, the leading authority on being a brother.</p><p>Ned loves the idea, even though he doesn’t really know how to put it into words. “Thank God they’re letting them adopt, it’s about time.”</p><p>Sarah looks over at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”</p><p>Victor’s currently nudging Darcy into the living room. “They’re lesbians.” He explains simply.</p><p>Not a second goes by before Sarah says, “Very cool.”</p><p> </p><p>To the surprise of absolutely no one, Sarah and Darcy are the unbeatable team. They’re all a little tipsy from drinking the champagne too quickly, but it matters not to the resident dancers of the group. </p><p>Sarah’s the kind of girl one assumes is just naturally good at everything, so of course it’s no different when she’s in her element. They all team up, and she and Darcy win by a landslide. Victor’s not half bad, if he does say so himself, even though Darcy would never admit it; he’d rather tease him with the others as they watch him move to overplayed music that no one listens to anymore.</p><p>Fine with him, as long as Darcy’s having a good time.</p><p>Wally’s right behind Victor, and it’s only his boundless confidence that scores him right above Ned. There’s no other word to describe it other than completely ridiculous, and Victor just manages to scrape by while he laughs himself to death.</p><p>Ned and Conor are dead last, but honestly, they could’ve tried harder. Their duet was pretty cute, though.</p><p>By the end of their second round of team competition, the whole group is laid out on the floor, too hot from the weather and too sleepy from the champagne and breakfast to go on any further. </p><p>“It’s only eleven in the morning, and this week won’t last forever!” Wally chirps with his head on Sarah’s stomach. “We can’t slow down yet.”</p><p>“Speak for yourself.” Darcy says. He had the nerve to scoff at the game, but ended up trying harder than anyone.</p><p>“There’s only one way to fix this, and I think you know what it is.” Conor murmurs sleepily. It’s unbelievable how consistently ready for bed this guy is.</p><p>Wally pierces Victor with a look. “Is there more champagne.” It doesn’t sound like a question, more of a lifelong destiny.</p><p>“In the fridge.” He says, knowing where this is going. That’s the danger of day drinking- it’ll completely ruin any plans for the rest of the day unless you keep going.</p><p>Wally vanishes and comes back with the chilled bottle (he’s never been one for individual glasses) and passes it around.</p><p>Victor’s surprised when he sees Sarah matching Wally’s speed with the champagne. From what he remembers of the spring dance, she didn’t strike him as the type, but he knows there’s usually more to learn about someone if he gives it enough time. </p><p>Darcy keeps up with the three of them, and Victor has to push any worry from his mind in order to carry on with the day. It doesn’t always have to be a problem, right? </p><p>Ned and Conor predictably pass it on, and Conor lifts himself up off the couch to wave them off and slink upstairs. “Come get me in like, an hour.”</p><p>Victor and Wally boo him off the hypothetical stage, but he just sends a finger back to them. Ned, who looks quite energetic, offers up an alternative to keep them busy while his boyfriend sleeps off the alcohol.</p><p>“Wanna play Bullshit?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wally, you suck so much at this, it’s actually painful.” Darcy laughs as Wally picks up the mountain of cards from the middle of the pile. His cheeks and the tips of his ears are painted the prettiest shade of pink, and Victor hopes it’ll never get cooler.</p><p>“I don’t suck! You all are just too good at it.” </p><p>“You know you don’t have to lie <em> every </em> turn, right?” Ned asks in disbelief.</p><p>“What? I thought those were the rules.”</p><p>Sarah laughs into her hand, and Wally turns to glare accusingly at her. “Sorry,” she giggles, “I just wanted to see you lose again.”</p><p>Wally groans in feigned frustration, cards falling from his grasp. “Ooh, you’re lucky I love you.”</p><p>“Ace.”</p><p>“Two.”</p><p>“Three.”</p><p>“Bullshit.” Wally thinks he’s got the upper hand now that he holds all the cards, literally and figuratively.</p><p>Darcy smirks, his tongue between his teeth as he flips the card over to reveal the three of spades. “Damn, now you know the rules and you <em> still </em> suck!” Victor can’t stop looking at the shape of his eyebrows and the way his whole being loosens up when he drinks.</p><p>Wally shakes his head as though predicting an oncoming storm. “You’ll see, you’ll all see.”</p><p>They don’t end up “seeing” whatever it is, because a few minutes later, on their fourth round, Wally still holds most of the cards and it’s down to Darcy and Victor fighting for the title of the best liar. Sarah has a blatant tell: she always smiles a little too wide when she puts down a card that isn’t what she says it is, and Ned hesitates for a fraction of a second before he bluffs.</p><p>Darcy’s tipsy enough to stare Victor down without flinching once, and Victor almost forgets that they’re playing at all. But he snaps back to reality with a determination to win.</p><p>“Six”</p><p>“Seven”</p><p>“Eight.” Victor couldn’t stop smiling even if he wanted to; facing Darcy in such a falsely tense situation has his skin tingling in the best way possible. It works in his favor. This is his last card.</p><p>“Bullshit.” Darcy’s holding his breath, he can tell. Victor wants this second to last for an hour.</p><p>“Eight.” He says again, flipping the card over while holding Darcy’s gaze. Darcy’s eyes flick down to the card, and upon seeing that it is indeed an eight of hearts, breaks into a defeated grin.</p><p>“Damn.” He says, falling back.</p><p>Ned tosses his cards down, and if Victor was hopeless, he would say he’d forgotten the others were there to begin with. “I’m gonna go wake up Conor.”</p><p>When Conor comes back down with Ned at his side, looking much more refreshed and ready to go and the cards are picked up, they are once again plagued by the question of what to do next.</p><p>After lunch, that is.</p>
<hr/><p>“Ned, your neighbor has a pool, right?”</p><p>Ned looks up from his sandwich in utter shock. “How the <em> hell </em> would you know that? Did you case the street before you came in?”</p><p>Victor almost wants to say yes just to see him freak out. “No, I didn’t. When I walked up I saw a man four doors down carrying one of those nets people use to clean pools. Who do you think I am?”</p><p>“You don’t want me to answer that. Anyway, yes, they do. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe I let you guys talk me into this.” Ned says, looking behind him at his house like he would do anything to go back.</p><p>Wally presses onward. “Don’t be such a drama queen. It’s not that weird.”</p><p>Sarah takes his hand and lets him pull her along like he’s done since they were barely old enough to talk. “It’s a little strange, but it’s too hot to care. I need to swim, Ned.”</p><p>“Fine, but why’d you bring swimsuits when there was no guarantee that we’d go swimming?”</p><p>“Call me hopeful.” </p><p>Ned looks too nervous for this innocent excursion, and Wally guesses that this kid rarely speaks to his neighbors if at all. “That’s one word for it. What makes you think they’re gonna let some strange drunk teenagers swim in their pool in the first place?”</p><p>“You’re not a stranger, right? And the worst thing they can say is no, so calm down.” Sarah says. She has an odd way of being comforting sometimes.</p><p>No matter how strange it may or may not be, they’ve arrived at Ned’s neighbor’s front door. Without another moment to spare, Wally knocks politely with the hand that isn’t holding Sarah’s. And they wait.</p><p>Soon enough, a friendly looking woman wearing an apron and gardening gloves answers the door, and she beams at Ned as soon as she sees that it’s him.</p><p>“Edwin! How good to see you. Who’s this?” She looks at Wally and Sarah, her eyes falling to their intertwined hands. Part of the plan was to bring Sarah along so they don’t look too mischievous and menacing (even though Wally can’t think of a word that describes Ned less,) and apparently, it works.</p><p>“Hey, Mrs Kelly, good to see you, too. These are my friends.”</p><p>“I’m Sarah, it’s nice to meet you.” Sarah introduces herself, smiling like the pretty and proper girl she was raised to be.</p><p>“Wally.” He was raised in chaos.</p><p>Mrs Kelly looks thrilled. “You have friends! Ah, I’ve never seen you bring friends here, dear!”</p><p>Ned looks like he wants to sigh <em> really </em> loudly. “That’s cause I never have. So, we were wondering, could we and a couple more people…”</p><p>Wally sees him hesitate, so he just goes in for the kill. “Can we use your pool?”</p><p>Ned and Sarah both look up at him like he’s mad, but he’s nothing if not used to it. Why wait? </p><p>Mrs Kelly just looks humored. “How many of you are there?”</p><p>“Six in total.”</p><p>Mrs Kelly puts her hands on her hips. “Well, my husband and I are going to be out for a while, but...only because it’s you, Ned, and I’m delighted to see you spend some time with your friends. Just don’t go too crazy, alright?”</p><p>Wally’s <em> this </em> close to saying, ‘No promises,’ but Sarah’s so in tune with his thought patterns, she steps on his foot before he opens his mouth.</p><p>“No worries, Mrs Kelly, we’ll be alright.”</p><p>“Okay then! Oh, and how’d you know I have a pool?”</p><p> </p><p>Their plans have to be put on hold for a couple hours, because Ned, Conor, and Darcy all don’t have swim trunks, and honestly, is no one prepared for summer? Victor brought everything though, which proves even further why he and Wally are kindred spirits.</p><p>The three of them lounge around the house and make the preparations for dinner later while the other three go on an impromptu shopping trip. That’s fine, though, because it’s the perfect opportunity for Sarah and Victor to get to know each other a little better. Most of their conversation is bonding over how much of a clown Wally can be, but if that’s what it takes to be the glue that holds the people in his life together, he’ll gladly accept it.</p><p>By the time the others get back, they have to change at the speed of lightning and race down the street to catch up before the sun goes down any further. The heat is peaking for the day, and Wally’s too excited; he hasn’t gone swimming in ages. His parents got one of those huge inflatable pools once, but with all of his siblings and a single sharp object, that dream was quickly shattered.</p><p>Even though he grew up in a house full of people, there’s something oddly...different about doing this with his friends. It’s not the partial nudity, because three years of sharing a locker room and a dorm with three out of his five friends has made them <em> very </em> comfortable with each other. He can’t put his finger on it, it’s just different.</p><p>But none of that matters now, because Sarah is in her swimsuit, sticking her feet in the water and looking like she should be on the cover of a magazine. She’s got one of those retro two piece suits where the bottom goes up to her waist and a sheer robe over it, every piece pitch black, even after all her complaining about the temperature. She’s even got a sun hat and shades. Wally wants to cry.</p><p>“You look so good.” He tells her truthfully, already in the water and leaning over the side to gaze up at her. </p><p>She smiles down at him like a benign goddess. “Thank you, my love.” She says, like she fucking knows. God, he loves her so much. </p><p>“Wally, quit ogling her and come play chicken.” Victor calls.</p><p>He doesn’t even look back. “You guys wouldn’t understand, you’re all gay.” He hopes that didn’t come off the wrong way.</p><p>But Ned and Conor laugh and Victor swims over to smack him over the head. “Shut up and come on.”</p><p> </p><p>The water is the perfect escape from the summer wrath, and even as their intoxication fades away, it re-energizes all of them. The game is on. It’s Conor with Ned on his shoulders versus Victor on Wally’s. Ned looks like he doesn’t wanna go up against the tower that is Victor, but he’ll just have to deal with it. </p><p>“I‘ll go easy on you, Eddie, I promise.”</p><p>Ned’s face darkens at the mention of his hated nickname, and Conor spurs him on with, “You got this.”</p><p>“Aaaand...go!” Darcy and Sarah shout, the acting referees.</p><p>It’s mean, it’s fast, it’s feral, it’s <em> real. </em> Victor has the advantage of strength, but Ned’s faster. It’s also a competition of who’s the sturdiest pillar between Conor and Wally, and Conor definitely has the upper hand with how much lighter Ned must be than Victor.</p><p>In the end, Victor and Wally are the winners, and amidst the excitement, Sarah sheds her hat and shawl to join in on Darcy’s shoulders. Wally almost wants to jump back and dunk Victor in the water to give his girlfriend the win, but after she swindled him playing cards, he’s got a score to settle. </p><p>But she’s not afraid to use anything to her advantage, and ends up giving Victor a couple scratches to take home. Ned and Conor are supposed to be reffing, but they’re probably too busy to notice, knowing them. Wally can’t say he blames them.</p><p>Victor grits his teeth and bares it, though, and eventually both Sarah and Darcy are crashing back into the glittering water. Victor gives Wally a high five from up above, and they’re onto the next set.</p><p>Wally wanted to take a break and admire how amazing Sarah looks when her hair’s wet, so they’re off to the side, watching the new teams duke it out. It’s Ned and Conor, with Darcy on Victor’s shoulders, and there’s a fair amount of trash talking in this round. Wally hoped that poor Ned would win at least once, but he’s never seen him have that kind of competitive pride, anyway.</p><p>After their win, Victor keeps Darcy on his shoulders. Maybe he’s once again trying to prove how much more evolved his strength and stamina are. </p><p>Darcy pats Victor’s head. “You can put me down now.”</p><p>Victor grins up at him, and Wally knows what’s going to happen next. “Oh, you want me to?”</p><p>“Kinda.”</p><p>Victor flips Darcy off his shoulders, sending him flying back into the water. Suppose that’s what he gets, after all. He comes back up spluttering and slicking his hair back out of his face, and waits like, a millionth of a second before tackling Victor in the water with his arms around his shoulders.</p><p>“Wally, come back to the house with me to grab drinks.” Sarah demands casually.</p><p>“Oh, what are we drinking?” </p><p>She stands up and holds out her hand. “Water.”</p><p> </p><p>Wally’s getting better at this; he knows Sarah subtly asked him to go with her so she could talk to him about something, and he’s not an idiot. He thinks he knows what it is.</p><p>She’s got a towel wrapped around her, and he wishes she could be free enough to walk around as bracingly as he can. “So <em> what </em> is up with Victor and Darcy?”</p><p>Wally has no clue why she’s asking him. “I don’t know, what do you mean?”</p><p>“You had to have seen it, right? Since Victor showed up, there’s been this...tension between them. I know I’m not just seeing things.”</p><p>She’s usually right about this kind of shit. “I mean, I dunno all the details, but Darcy’s crushing on him for sure.”</p><p>They reach the house, and Wally unlocks the door for her. “Obviously. What about Victor?”</p><p>Wally honest to God really doesn’t think about it too much. “Man, I don’t know. I’ve just been kinda...witnessing it all. It’s kinda weird, cause they’re my friends and all, but these things just sort of, happen around me.”</p><p>Sarah nods thoughtfully, taking six bottles of water out of the fridge. </p><p>“Is it really my business, though?” </p><p>She looks at him like he’s missing something. “I mean, they’re your best friends, right? It’s not like you <em> shouldn’t </em> know. Do you ever feel like you’re out of the loop?”</p><p>Wally shrugs, uncapping the bottle and drinking half of it in one go. “Only about this stuff. Sometimes. I asked V about Darcy back when things were weird between them, or, weirder, and he kinda freaked out about it. I think he might like him too, but I’m not sure. I always thought he was straight.”</p><p>Now that they’re alone, Sarah feels free to walk behind him and wrap her arms around his middle. Wally loves that no matter how “weird” things get, she’s the constant in his life. “It sure looks like he does. I hope they figure it out.”</p><p>“Me too. Now let’s get back before they figure out we’re talking about them.”</p><p> </p><p>It’s roughly another hour and a half before Mrs Kelly and her husband return and politely ask the group to leave. It’s only a little awkward, for Ned mostly, but they all thank the couple profusely before scurrying off their property.</p><p>By the time they get back to Ned’s house, they’re all starving and tired. </p>
<hr/><p>The next morning, Ned sneaks into the guest room where Darcy sleeps to rouse him before everyone else wakes up. He climbs up on the bed on his knees, musing about how he shouldn’t have pulled the comforter out of the closet if Darcy was going to sleep with nothing but a sheet.</p><p>“Darcy, wake up.” Ned almost feels guilty about waking him up so early. The sun’s barely creeping up the horizon, and Darcy looks dead to the world on his stomach; his hair sticking up at every end from going to bed with wet hair and his face buried between two pillows. </p><p>Ned thinks he might actually be dead until he hears a low and muffled, “Hm.”</p><p>“Help me make breakfast.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Please?”</p><p>Darcy turns his head to look at Ned, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes already fluttering closed. Ned knows if he left now, he wouldn’t even remember being woken up. “What time is it?”</p><p>“Five-thirty.”</p><p>Darcy gives him a look of disgust and nuzzles back into the pillows. “I <em> hate </em> you.”</p><p>Ned knew this wasn’t going to be easy. “Listen, I don’t love being up this early either, but I need to get more ingredients and I can’t do it by myself.”</p><p>“Ingredients for what?”</p><p>“Victor’s birthday.”</p><p>Darcy heaves a heavy sigh, and Ned watches the rise and fall of his bare back. “You know you don’t have to be this nice, right? You could just...make him some eggs and he’d be fine with it.”</p><p>Ned knows perfectly well that he’s going over the top, but he has a very good reason. “Well, yeah I could, but who knows? He’s going to uni in the fall and we might not see him much after this.”</p><p>This gets his friend to lift himself to sit up on the bed and rub the sleep from his eyes. “<em> Ugh, </em> fine, but you owe me a coffee. I’m not even gonna ask why you didn’t ask Conor, he’s the one who gets up early every fuckin’ morning.”</p><p>They both know about Ned’s soft spot for Conor’s love of sleep; it’s an unspoken truth that doesn’t need mentioning.</p><p>“Get dressed and we’ll get coffee first.”</p><p> </p><p>It completely slipped Ned’s mind that Victor fell asleep on the couch last night. He and Wally stayed up on the PS3 long after the others went to bed, and Ned has to make a very quick decision on how to make him disappear to surprise him later.</p><p>Darcy still looks miffed from being woken up at such an ungodly hour, wrapped up in a hoodie and sweats.</p><p>“Tell him to go sleep in the guest room.” Ned whispers to him.</p><p>Darcy squints down at him. “Why do I have to do it?”</p><p>“Cause if I do, he’ll think something’s up.”</p><p>It doesn’t make any sense, but luckily for Ned, Darcy’s too tired to argue. He shuffles over to the couch while Ned grabs the reusable bags from the kitchen, and when he comes back, Victor’s dragging his feet up the stairs.</p><p>Darcy’s blushing while pulling on his shoes. “Let’s go.” He mumbles.</p><p>He really must be a lost cause, because Ned can’t imagine what could happen in the span of ten seconds to make him turn that shade of pink.</p>
<hr/><p>When Victor wakes up to the sweetest scent wafting into the room, there’s a few moments when he thinks he’s back at home, and he opens his eyes expecting to look out at his own neighborhood through his bedroom window.</p><p>He instead looks around the interior of one of the bedrooms in Ned’s house, and he’s a little shaken when he doesn’t remember how he got there. An image of Darcy hovering over him, looking sleepy and angelic in the early morning light crosses his mind and his stomach does somersaults, but that must’ve been a dream.</p><p>Something that rouses his appetite must be happening in the kitchen, but Victor just wants to lie in one of the most comfortable beds he’s ever been in for a while longer. However he got here, the couch certainly didn’t do his back any favors.</p><p>He rolls over on his stomach and takes a deep breath, shutting out the light of mid morning. The sheets smell like chlorine, a shampoo that doesn’t belong to him, and something else that’s achingly familiar and unnamed. Victor’s sleep-riddled brain comes to the conclusion that it smells like the room upstairs back at school, but he can’t figure out why.</p><p>He wants to stay here for the rest of the day until he remembers that today’s his birthday. A childish excitement bubbles in his chest when he finally realizes that he gets to spend it with his best friends, and that gives him the energy to rise up from the pillows.</p><p>Various pieces of clothing are scattered around the room, falling out of a duffel that definitely doesn’t belong to him. From the looks of it, that’s the t-shirt Darcy was wearing yesterday hanging on the chair by the window, and it finally dawns on him.</p><p>The knowledge that this is Darcy’s (temporary) room causes Victor to fall back against the mattress as a flood of thoughts and emotions crowd his mind. His chest is simmering, and at this point, he knows why.</p><p>Darcy slept in this bed, and Victor feels like a child for letting it affect him this much. What does it matter? He’d spent years in an all boys school, bouncing around from dorm to dorm and even showering with guys he only knew from the field at best.</p><p>But this is different. <em> He’s </em> different.</p><p>Darcy’s weird and mysterious and stubborn, and he gets more frustratingly attractive with every day that passes. Victor originally only wanted to get closer, to get to know him better, but he doesn’t know how long that simple feeling will remain simple. Maybe it’s already moved beyond that.</p><p>It must have, because Victor’s once again breathing into the pillows for no reason other than to let this scent flood his senses, and it’s kind of shameful. Being in here is just strangely intimate in a way he can’t describe, that’s different from everything else.</p><p>His stomach reminds him that the day is only so long, and there has to come a time when he welcomes in the light. There’s no time to imagine what Darcy looks like in his very first waking moments or if Victor just likes him because he likes Victor.</p><p>It’s exhausting, but it’s his birthday.</p><p> </p><p>Breakfast, for lack of a better word, is exquisite. Ned (and apparently Darcy, reluctantly) pulled out all the stops, and Victor has to stop for a moment to question whether or not he just walked into a banquet.</p><p>It’s <em> everything; </em> waffles, French toast, omelets, hash browns, toast, coffee, mimosa, jam and golden syrup. And maybe too much more. One would think they were preparing to feed a family of twelve with everything gracefully laid out on the counter, it’s outrageous.</p><p>Victor stops at the entrance to the kitchen, positively delighted. “What the hell’s all this?”</p><p>The rest of the group, save for Wally, who must still be sleeping, look up. “Happy birthday! I didn’t get you anything, so this’ll have to do.” Ned says.</p><p>Victor rushes him with a hug, almost knocking the spatula out of Ned’s hand. “It’s <em> perfect! </em> Best way to a man’s heart!”</p><p>Sarah rolls her eyes. “Clearly.”</p><p> </p><p>At the table, the whole group settles into the easy routine of sharing yet another meal together. </p><p>“So we’re watching Star Wars today, right?” Wally asks, serving himself his third helping of French toast. If Victor didn’t know him as well as he does, he’d wonder where he puts it all.</p><p>“Fine with me. I wanna see you defend the prequels till your last breath.”</p><p>“This is the hill I die on, you’ll see.”</p><p>Darcy’s working on his fourth cup of coffee, by Victor’s count. “You all have fun with that, I’m going back to bed after this.”</p><p>“Coffee not helping?” Ned asks.</p><p>Darcy shakes his head forlornly. “It’s never made a difference, but I won’t stop trying.”</p><p>“Word to that,” Conor says, and the two clink their mugs together.</p><p> </p><p>Victor’s amazed. Even among Wally and Conor’s bickering about the corniness of the Phantom Menace, Darcy still finds a way to fall asleep in the corner of the couch. </p><p>In his opinion, it’s the most boring Star Wars movie, even with the racing scene. Victor finds it inexcusably odd that a teenage Padme meets a child Anakin and they end up getting married, and he doesn’t hesitate to tell Wally that with conviction.</p><p>As a result, Victor keeps catching himself looking over at Darcy while he naps, and he hates how creepy it is. It’s cooler today, so Darcy’s in a mint green sweatshirt with the hood up, and Victor follows the rise and fall of his chest. He’s curled up in a way that makes Victor sleepy, his lips parted and dark eyelashes casting little shadows over the top of his cheeks. This isn’t a new thought, but everything about Darcy, at any time of day, just screams <em> look at me. </em></p><p>Victor feels a prickle on the back of his neck, and turns his head in time to see Sarah quickly moving her eyes off him, but not fast enough that he doesn’t catch it.</p><p>Oh, so that’s how it feels.</p><p>He never thought he’d be the center of speculation in the group after Ned and Conor got together, but since their relationship became a pillar of the whole dynamic, he supposes there had to be something new to ponder on eventually. </p><p>Victor just hadn’t realized how much he missed seeing Darcy every day until their last holiday, and now that they’re in the same place again, he just can’t look away. It disheartens him to know that after their stay, he doesn’t know when they’ll all be together again. </p><p>Should he go for it? Or is there no point in tipping the scales when their time is so limited? The chaotic part of Victor’s brain tells him that their lack of days together is the perfect reason to physically find out if his attraction to Darcy is more than fleeting, to tell the future it can fuck right off. He’d never felt like two sides of one coin before Darcy Lynch started taking up space in his life.</p><p>Throughout the rest of the sub-par movie, Victor’s traitorous mind keeps zoning out and conjuring up memories of every instance he and Darcy have been close. When Darth Maul shows up on screen, and the back of his neck heats up when he remembers how it felt when Darcy was perched on his shoulders at the pool yesterday. Victor had made the mistake of letting his eyes lock onto his honey colored thighs, a mere inch away from his face and stared at the little hairs sticking to Darcy’s skin. </p><p>Whoever came up with that game was definitely gay.</p><p>It doesn’t make any sense. If Victor’s indeed attracted to men, why hadn’t he noticed before now? He was never tempted to let his eyes linger on any of his teammates or roommates in the past, so why did he feel magnetized to the trail of hair on Darcy’s stomach that dipped into his waistband? It’s just another thing that makes Darcy feel so new.</p><p>Obi-Wan cuts Maul in half and sends him into some hole that leads to hell, but it doesn’t really matter since he comes back later.</p><p> </p><p>When the movie ends and Wally tries to convince everyone that they <em> have </em> to watch the next one to really appreciate how good the first one is, Darcy finally wakes up to the credits rolling.</p><p>He has that look on his face like he doesn’t remember falling asleep, and he gathers himself off the couch, runs his tongue over his teeth, and stretches towards the ceiling like a cat. He stands on the tips of his feet, and Victor once again gets a glimpse of his belly button and the dark brown hair sprinkled below it.</p><p>“Start it without me, I’m gonna go floss.” Darcy announces before departing the living room and heading upstairs.</p><p>Victor takes a whopping five seconds to decide that this might be his one chance to be alone with him all week, and without a word, he ditches the group to follow him. Everybody knows anyway, so what’s the point in some bullshit excuse?</p><p>His heart picks up a pace that steadily increases as he climbs, and there’s no time to debate on how weird this might be, because it’s genuinely now or never.</p><p>When he arrives at the doorway of the guest room, he can see Darcy flossing in the mirror of the bathroom within, and Victor’s never been one to hesitate when he makes a decision.</p><p>The other boy jumps a fraction when he spots Victor behind him in the mirror, but he doesn’t give him a second reaction.</p><p>“Feeling better?” Victor asks.</p><p>Darcy shrugs. “Kinda. Ned woke me up at the crack of dawn to make breakfast, so I hope you’re happy with it.”</p><p>“I am,” Victor says honestly. “Is that why you didn’t get me a present?” This feels good, normal.</p><p>He spits into the sink and tosses out the string. “Who says I didn’t get you anything?”</p><p>Victor’s heart skips a beat and starts back up again at an irregular rhythm. “Did you?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>He knows this routine. He’s just about memorized every one of their back and forth conversations in the quiet of the night. “That’s what I thought.” Darcy’s lack of a gift doesn’t manage to disappoint him.</p><p>Darcy turns towards the door, but Victor doesn’t move. He doesn’t think he could if he wanted to.</p><p>“What?” Darcy asks, narrowing his pretty eyes.</p><p>A thought strikes Victor. “Did you wake me up this morning, or was that a hallucination?”</p><p>Darcy opens his mouth, but Victor cuts him off before he can fib. “And don’t lie.”</p><p>His mouth snaps shut, and he seems like he wants to be mad, but he can’t manage it. “Yeah, and what?”</p><p>“I was a little confused when I woke up in your bed after passing out on the couch.”</p><p>Darcy looks away like he always does, but he doesn’t back up. He doesn’t appear to have anything else to say, so Victor asks, “I know that look, did I say something weird?”</p><p>“Not particularly.” He sticks his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, but Victor can tell he wants to fidget.</p><p>The tension (and the temperature, but maybe that’s all in Victor’s head) rises, and this feeling is getting so familiar. “Tell me, then.”</p><p>Darcy looks up at him in their minimal height difference, and Victor’s ears are ringing. “You just said good morning, and- I’m pretty sure you were still asleep.”</p><p>“And what?” This is a game, and Victor’s become an excellent player.</p><p>“You...touched my face.”</p><p>Victor snorts. “Really?”</p><p>Darcy’s looking at his left shoulder now. “Really. It was kind of weird.”</p><p>Victor leans over and tilts his head to make him look him in the eye again. “Not that weird, though, right?”</p><p>Darcy looks up at the ceiling and sighs, “Maybe. I don’t know what’s weird or not anymore.”</p><p>Neither does he. “So how’d I do it?”</p><p>Darcy’s eyes meet his again, and Victor would do anything to be able to hold his gaze. “I can’t really describe it.”</p><p>Victor leans in, and even the invisible field around Darcy has a different kind of heat to it. Gravity feels off, like he could float up off the floor at any moment. “Show me, then.”</p><p>Darcy bites the inside of his cheek, but by the grace of some divine force, he gives in. He doesn’t say anything, just brings his right hand up to Victor’s face and gently runs his knuckles along his cheekbone. Goosebumps rise across his whole body at the touch, and he knows that beyond a shadow of a doubt, he wants this.</p><p>He takes Darcy’s wrist, feeling the veins against his thumb like wires, and moves to close the space between them.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Darcy whispers, and Victor can feel his breath on his lips.</p><p>“I’m gonna kiss you, if that’s okay.”</p><p>“Again?”</p><p>Victor can count his eyelashes. “Oh, is that what that was? I thought it was just breathing.”</p><p>A surge of energy seems to run through Darcy. “God, fuck you.” And he crashes into Victor’s mouth like waves on the sand. </p><p>Victor can’t help but laugh into the kiss, just a little. He’s giddy, electric, like he just scored the final point in a long-awaited game. Darcy’s lips feel like the earth, his mouth like the ocean. </p><p>He puts his hands on Darcy’s waist the same moment Darcy takes a hold of the hairs on the back of his neck, pulling them against each other, and every neuron in Victor’s brain fires off at once. Their lips dance together for a few seconds, but it’s just not enough. He bites Darcy’s bottom lip, hopefully hard enough to hurt, and drinks in the gasp he gets in return. </p><p>It feels like the weight of the world is boiling in Victor’s abdomen when he feels Darcy’s tongue on his top lip, and Victor just wants to open him up, wider and wider. He releases Darcy’s lip to let him in, and fuck, he really does taste like cherries. Nothing has ever felt so right as Darcy’s tongue (longer than he would’ve thought) slides along the side of his own, and before Victor’s brain short circuits, he has to know how far this is gonna go. God forbid he crosses a line and fucks it all up again.</p><p>He pulls back a millionth of an inch, and before they can really part, Darcy captures his lips again, making him forget why he wanted to hesitate in the first place.</p><p>Victor waits a second, placing a lingering kiss on Darcy’s perfect mouth and says breathlessly, “Do you wanna stop?”</p><p>Darcy catches the string of saliva that separates them, and whereas in another lifetime Victor would’ve thought that was gross, now it just makes him weak in the knees. “Hell no, do you?”</p><p>He takes one look at Darcy’s lidded eyes, his pupils the size of the moon, and says, “Not a chance.”</p><p>They meet in the middle again, and Victor takes some initiative. He bends his knees slightly, places his hands right underneath Darcy’s ass and lifts him up on the sink. He wants to feel everything, go everywhere before they never have another chance. </p><p>Darcy lets out a little squeal at being picked up, his arms tightening around Victor’s neck, and Victor catches his lips before he can get embarrassed about it. He’d do anything to pull every possible sound out of Darcy’s throat.</p><p>With better access now, he lets his hands roam freely on the tops of Darcy’s thighs, still wrapped around his waist, and they’re so close Victor can feel the way it makes him shiver. He vaguely hopes he’s not going too far by teasing the skin that’s just underneath his shorts, but after holding onto them for dear life yesterday, he wants to touch every hair on Darcy’s body.</p><p>Darcy dives deeper into his mouth, and Victor’s sure he’s trying to count all his teeth. Their movements become clumsy, unorganized when Darcy spreads his hands across Victor’s chest, down, down, until he reaches the hem of his shirt. Victor’s breath stutters when the other’s fingertips dance across his abs and gather up the courage to grab hold of his waist under his shirt. Victor leans in closer, pressing Darcy against the glass of the mirror and spurring him on, and it becomes clear that it might never be enough.</p><p>Planets could be colliding around them, the sun burning out or the ground splitting open beneath their feet, and Victor would never notice. All he can comprehend is the feeling of Darcy’s lips, his glorious tongue, the heat spreading across his skin and taking the breath from Victor’s lungs. Darcy’s perfect, and now he finally understands it.</p><p>He finally parts from Victor, tapping the back of his head against the mirror and panting slightly. There’s an instance in which Victor pursues him further, but Darcy opens his eyes a bit and he slows to a halt. They breathe against each other in the silence of the room, and Victor’s never felt more comfortable in his life.</p><p>Darcy presses his forehead against Victor’s, his hands still burning fingerprints on his skin. “We go on for much longer and I’ll start to think you’re crushing on me.”</p><p>Victor opens his eyes and chuckles, admiring how beautiful Darcy looks when his lips are pink and raw. “You wouldn’t be wrong. Sorry I made you wait.” He doesn’t yet understand that it’s the first of many apologies.</p><p>“Whatever.” Darcy brings his hands up to cup Victor’s face, and Victor wants to stay like this for the rest of the summer, hold this amazing creature as close as he can and forget about the rest of the world. “We should probably get back, though, before they start talking about us.”</p><p>“I’m positive they already are. All you guys do is gossip.”</p><p>Darcy scoffs and kisses him one more time, and it takes all of Victor’s willpower to not to give up on the others and jump back in. “You’re the biggest gossip out of all of us, don’t even try.”</p><p>“Touché. This is a hell of a birthday present, Lynch.”</p><p>They finally part, and Victor tries not to feel like all the oxygen abandoned the room as the space between them grows.</p><p> </p><p>Conor goes upstairs to grab his phone charger since he forgot to plug it in last night, and Janey wants him to send her consistent updates on what he and his friends get up to over the summer. Hopefully everything will work out the way it’s supposed to and he can take Ned with him to visit her in California.</p><p>A sight in his peripheral vision stops him in his tracks. He has an inkling he knows what it is, but for the sake of his (and everyone else’s) curiosity, he turns his head and glances into the guest room.</p><p>Victor and Darcy appear to be glued together in the bathroom, and though he knows the feeling, Conor hopes no one on earth ever catches him and Ned going at it like that.</p><p>He’d die before getting in the middle of all that, so he silently reaches his and Ned’s room, pulls his charger out of the wall, and toes back down the hall, muttering under his breath, “About goddamn time.”</p><p>When he gets back to the living room, Ned and Sarah both look to him like they’re on high alert for the others. Conor plugs in his phone and settles in next to Ned, leaning in close and whispers what he wants to know in his boyfriend’s ear. “Victor and Darcy are making out in the bathroom.”</p><p>Ned nods sagely and says at regular volume, “That’s nice.”</p><p> </p><p>The two in question descend the stairs shortly after Conor, looking deliberately put together, and the rest of Victor’s birthday goes by without a hitch. They eat leftover breakfast throughout the day, and when asked what he wants to do, Victor claims that he wants nothing more than to watch movies until the sun goes down.</p><p>And if he and Darcy sit closer together than usual, no one says a word about it.</p>
<hr/><p>The next day, things get a little more lively. The whole crew wakes up with a need to get out of the house and just <em> do </em> something, even Ned, who’s usually such a homebody.</p><p>After breakfast, they try to make a plan, but with so many differing opinions, they come to the consensus that it’ll be best if they simply get dressed, leave, and figure it out from there.</p><p>However, when half of the group was born with the natural ability to take <em> forever </em> to get ready, (Victor’s words) they’ve split up around the house. Wally and Conor, the ever patient boyfriends, convince Victor to wait it out with the PS3 downstairs while Ned, Darcy, and Sarah are huddled on the second floor.</p><p>The truth is that half an hour in, Ned and Darcy <em> are </em> ready, they’re just wrapped up in conversation with Sarah as she puts on her makeup- the young men downstairs forgotten.</p><p>“The only reason people in a general sense don’t believe in astrology is because your other planetary aspects aren’t common knowledge,” She continues, applying her eyeliner in a way that Ned finds very visually satisfying. “So if someone is an Aries with a Pisces moon, they’re less likely to fall into that aggressive, in your face stereotype.”</p><p>“Tell me more about these ‘planetary aspects,’ because all I’ve heard about astrology is from those stupid horoscopes that tell you how bad traffic is gonna be.” Darcy presses, watching her practiced movements with rapt attention.</p><p>Sarah takes a deep breath, and Ned is just happy to watch them get along so well, even squished together in front of the bathroom mirror. “Where do I even start? There are twelve planets that represent a certain part of your personality and the way you look at life, right? So for example, Mars is the action planet, the one that represents passion, sex, conflict, what gets you fired up. Check what your Mars is in.”</p><p>Darcy looks down at his phone. “Hmm, Scorpio.”</p><p>Sarah’s applying glue to a pair of false eyelashes that Ned finds cool, but a little unnecessary. “Okay, so we basically take the aspects of Scorpio; darkness, taboo, mystery, those rushing waters of emotion, and apply that to Mars energy. People with Mars in Scorpio are very goal oriented, they make rules for themselves just to see themselves conquer them and succeed. They can have a very black and white view of things- they always know exactly what they want. They’re also all about that deep, dark satisfaction, ya know? They like to be worshipped, but like, not in a Leo way. Sound like you?”</p><p>Darcy’s eyes have widened and his eyebrows are bunched together as he looks to the distance in apparent enlightenment. “That’s a little unnervingly accurate.”</p><p>“Exactly! If you take the time to explore every bit of your chart, it’s like reading a book about yourself. People often get into it to discover their life’s purpose and shit like that.”</p><p>“Can we go, sometime, today?” Victor’s voice appears from behind them, and they all turn to see him at the door, looking exasperated.</p><p>Sarah finishes applying her eyelashes. “I said I’d be ten minutes!”</p><p>“That was forty-five minutes ago.” </p><p>Sarah throws her hands up, but she’s laughing. “Whatever, I was done anyway.”</p><p>Wally shouts up the stairs, “Don’t argue with her, man, she’s been this way since she was ten!”</p><p>“What’s the rush?” Ned asks, “You have somewhere to be?”</p><p>“Bet he’s got an Aries moon.” Sarah whispers, eliciting a giggle out of Darcy.</p><p>Victor rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t leave. Maybe he wants to make sure he’s not left hanging for another hour.</p><p>“Ooh, wait!” Sarah jumps and digs through her bag, pulling out a vial of pale, clear lip gloss. She turns to Darcy. “Wanna try some?”</p><p>Darcy looks down at the bottle, and after a second, simply shrugs in acquiescence. “Sure, it’s not like I can get any gayer.”</p><p>“Love that for you.” She says, and begins her application.</p><p>Ned looks over at Victor and watches him crane his neck to get a better view of the duo, taking just two steps further into the room. Ned wonders what’s to become of him and Darcy now, but knowing them, he’s not foolish enough to believe that it’ll be anywhere near easy.</p><p>“Okay, do this with your lips,” Sarah instructs, pursing her own.</p><p>Darcy does so and looks at himself in the mirror, and Ned has no reason to lie; he looks great. It suits him, and Ned distantly wonders what Victor thinks of the way Darcy’s cupid’s bow glistens in the light. </p><p>Sarah caps the tube with a satisfying <em> pop </em>. “You like it?”</p><p>“I do.” He catches Victor’s eye in the mirror, and Ned can’t read Victor’s face. A miniscule look of mischief crosses over Darcy’s features, and he looks back down at Sarah. “Eyeliner?”</p><p>“Yes!” She exclaims at the same time Victor groans, throwing his head back and turning on his heel in defeat</p><p>“I’ll be back in ten minutes or we’re leaving without you.” He calls over his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Fifteen minutes later, and they’re all finally out the door. The peak of the day has passed, casting the neighborhood in a fiery orange glow, and nothing in Darcy’s life has felt more like summer.</p><p>He’s also rarely felt more confident, and it might be the eyeliner, the outrageously stylish Korean girl on his arm (she’s well on her way to becoming one of his best friends already,) or the way Victor keeps glancing back at him as they walk for no reason at all.</p><p>He’s not sure if it’s the fact that he’d <em> never, </em> in a thousand lifetimes, be able to walk the school grounds looking like this that’s making him so excited to wear makeup for the first time in his life, or if it’s just because he genuinely thinks he looks good. It’s a rare feeling.</p><p>He’s never even let himself consider it before, but Sarah’s influence has a big impact on him. As she explains the planets and the stars to him, he’s surprised to find himself wishing he could copy her outfit. She’s got a pair of blue skinny jeans with tasteful holes in the thighs and chunky white sneakers, and a bright red cropped hoodie that he’d give anything to try on. Darcy doesn’t feel less than in his light blue tee and black denim cutoffs, but he suddenly knows that he could do better, given the opportunity. He didn’t think he’d be the type to want to expose his stomach in the same way that Sarah is, but he’s learning a lot about the way things are this week.</p><p>The memory of Victor <em> actually </em> admitting that he has a crush on him and acting on it still feels like a vivid fever dream.</p><p>“V, take one for the team?” Wally asks, nodding to a nearby liquor shop on the corner.</p><p>Victor shrugs and looks at all of them in turn. “Any objections?” When no one speaks up (though Conor and Sarah share a breath that could be considered a sigh,) he advises, “Okay, but stay here. Getting arrested is not the plan tonight.” He turns back to Wally. “You got a preference?”</p><p>“You know I’m not picky.”</p><p>Before he left them, Ned asked for a pack of cigarettes, and now the group is one short, leaning against the sidewall of a dingy convenience store.</p><p>When Victor returns with a nondescript paper bag, Sarah’s just finished gathering the rest of the group's birthdays and times to add to the extensive file that Darcy guesses she has stashed away somewhere.</p><p> </p><p>They should’ve known that there’d be nothing to do in this little town after six pm, so in hindsight, the cherry flavored vodka was a worthy investment. They did end up finding an abandoned train car littered with years of graffiti on the outskirts of town, however, resting on a patch of tracks shrouded in botanical overgrowth near a dilapidated wall.</p><p>The sky is that perfect blend of blue, yellow, and orange, and with nothing better to do, the six of them take over the area. Victor’s seated on the edge of the car opening, his legs hanging over the edge and bathed in the summer glow, and Darcy thinks that the sun burns just for him.</p><p>Victor catches him staring, and before Darcy can look away, embarrassed about being caught, Victor winks at him like he’s always done. This whole thing is so weird, but...in a good way.</p><p>Ned opens the pack of cigarettes Victor bought for him and hands one to Darcy. Darcy takes it gladly, feeling like a true teenage rebel not for the first time in their year together, and says slyly, “Peer pressure, Ned?”</p><p>Ned glances at him, his vice hanging from his lips. “You don’t have to take it, I just like to share.”</p><p>Darcy’s proven himself to rarely be one to say no to anything that even slightly changes his state of mind, so he and Ned strengthen their bond by lighting up together. Ned even lights for him, how chivalrous.</p><p> </p><p>Darcy can’t remember the last time he felt this safe, this comfortable, this...satisfied. Since he and Ned left school together, he’s finally felt like he can take a full breath without worrying about who can hear him existing. That’s always been the problem with boarding school; he’s constantly worried about who might be perceiving him and what move he’s going to make next, like his next misstep is right around the corner. He knows it’s useless, that he’ll never truly know what strangers think of him and that nothing matters less, but he didn’t realize how much weight it put on his shoulders until this week.</p><p>The residual heat of the day feels like a warm embrace, encasing him in the unyielding appreciation he has for his friends, for these little moments. He wishes they could be together like this all the time. He wishes that he didn’t have to count the days until Victor goes off to uni however far away, that they went to school with Sarah so he’d have someone to talk to about unlocking more of his femininity, that they all lived in the same place so the freedom of this week didn’t have to end.</p><p>As they pass around the bottle and try to make up rules for a new drinking game, Darcy vows to appreciate these moments in full from now on and try not to nitpick himself too much.</p><p>How much time has he lost worrying about his place among strangers and friends?</p><p> </p><p>They’re all quite a sight as they make their way back to Ned’s house, after the sun’s long since evaporated from the sky and the frogs and insects sing into the night. Sarah’s got a firm hand on Wally’s arm as she leads him down the street like a puppet, which is hilarious since he was the one who wanted to stay out the longest.</p><p>Ned and Conor have always been the most sober of the bunch, and tonight is no different. Conor’s arm is around his boyfriend’s shoulders, Ned’s is around his waist, and they walk together like two people who’ve found each other in the darkness. Darcy’s more than a little drunk, so he has no hesitation about gazing at the couple and meditating on how happy he is for them. They really are perfect for each other in ways that most people might not understand at first glance.</p><p>He feels a warm hand slide into his, and in his haze looks down at it before realizing who it belongs to. Unless there’s a sudden stranger among them, it’s got to be Victor. </p><p>Darcy looks up at the dark eyes that are already on him, and without thinking says, “You can’t really be this cheesy.”</p><p>Victor habitually licks his bottom lip and replies easily, “I want to, don’t question it.”</p><p>So he doesn’t, because his brain is too foggy to question much of anything and the streetlights look like little patches of sunlight on the sidewalk, like the city misses the daylight.</p><p>Darcy’s carrying the sun in the spaces between his fingers, and for tonight, he lets himself believe, fully and wholeheartedly, that life might actually be pretty magical sometimes.</p>
<hr/><p>In the morning, the kitchen is bubbling with sleepy laughter and the smell of breakfast and coffee, and though things are a little more subdued with three mild hangovers to take care of, it’s no less perfect in Ned’s eyes.</p><p>This morning he woke up with the wild idea of trying to make this week a monthly occurrence for the rest of the summer, and his heart surprised him when it told him that it didn’t want his friends to leave. They have a couple more days scheduled, so it’s nothing to worry about right now, but the strings in his chest pull themselves into a knot when he remembers that these moments are temporary.</p><p>If he didn’t know it then, he knows it now: he’ll keep this extraordinary band of puppies in his life until they’re all old and jaded.</p><p>Preparing this meal is a quiet affair, but everyone does their part. Even if Darcy’s part is to make pot after pot of coffee to keep himself, Victor, and Wally upright.</p><p>A knock at the door shakes Ned out of the practiced art of peeling potatoes, and he’s once again reminded that he’s the only one here that jumps at the thought of a mystery person on the porch.</p><p>Ned wipes off his hands and swerves around his friends to see who it is, and upon opening the front door, realizes that this is the only thing that could ruin his week.</p><p>It’s his dad.</p><p>He almost forgot what he looks like, in all honesty. “What?” Ned says more in disbelief than in actual question. There’s no reason for him to be here, and he’s <em> never </em> come by the house other than to take Ned to school in the fall, which is a useless tradition, by the way.</p><p>His dad looks perplexed and a little bit insulted. “What do you mean, what? I forgot my keys.” Sarah’s loud laughter travels from the kitchen, along with the usual clatter of dishes and utensils, and the man looks over Ned’s shoulder in confusion. “What’s going on?”</p><p>He makes a move to walk through the door, but Ned holds his ground. Something in his soul wants to keep his dad from entering the house, Ned’s most sacred ground, like he doesn’t belong here. He doesn’t. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>His dad stares back at him in surprise. “I told you I was coming to take a look at the house, Ned.”</p><p>“My phone died.”</p><p>“I texted you a week ago.”</p><p>“Well, I don’t really read your texts.” Ned notices that his stepmum isn’t with him, thank God. </p><p>It wasn’t his intention to piss off his dad, but his temper seems to be rising either way. “Then don’t act surprised when I show up!” He says loudly, throwing his hands up.</p><p>Ned feels a hand on his shoulder, and looks over to see Conor standing behind him, looking slightly worried and a little more protective.</p><p>“Who’s this?” Conor and his dad ask at the same time.</p><p>Ned sighs internally and steadies himself for whatever is about to follow. “This is my boyfriend, Conor. Conor, this is my dad.”</p><p>His dad’s eyes widen as he looks between the two of them, and though Ned didn’t plan on coming out this way (he’s never really thought about coming out to his dad at all,) he supposes it doesn’t really matter, given the situation.</p><p>His dad shocks him by shaking himself out of his disbelief and saying, “Alright. Well, I need to talk to you, son. You gonna let me in?”</p><p>Ned would like nothing less. “No, we’ll talk out here. Conor, go inside.”</p><p>“You sure?” Conor asks gently.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>So Conor leaves them and closes the door behind him, and Ned is very unfortunately locked into a conversation with a man he hasn’t thought about in months. He doesn’t really...hate his dad, per say, he’s just learned to move on and live without him.</p><p>His dad leans over to look through the window. “Who’s all in there?”</p><p>Ned crosses his arms. “My friends. What do you want?”</p><p>He sighs, hopefully knowing by now that Ned’s not going to give him the time of day. “I came to check on the property, the wiring and all that. I’m selling the house.”</p><p>A surge of betrayal runs through Ned’s body, lighting up his veins in righteous discontent. “What? It’s not yours to sell!”</p><p>“It is, Ned. I bought this house with your mother before you were born.” He at least has the decency to look ashamed of himself.</p><p>“And she left it to <em> me </em> in the will. I have legal ownership, and I’m not selling.” The house, this home that he’s taken care of, is the last thing he has of his mum. It’s the only thing that keeps him connected to her.</p><p>His dad puts his hands in his pockets, his willpower pushing him to stand up straighter, and Ned hates the way men bulk themselves up against each other. “It’s not legal until you’re eighteen, and I’m tired of making payments on a house I don’t live in.” </p><p>“Who’s fault is that? You fucking left, you made that decision. But I still live here, and I’m not leaving.” For years, his father’s tried to convince him to live in India with him and his faded wife, and that notion alone only makes Ned’s resentment for him grow stronger. He chose to forget about the first woman he married, Ned’s mother and rock since childhood, even after she died. He’ll do anything to keep this home. “I take care of the property, you know. I call the electricians and the plumbers and have the lawn mowed. I’ve had the roof fixed, clean it when I come back so it stays upright, and it’s more than you’ve ever done.” Ned’s blood is boiling, and everything he’s ever wanted to say to his dad is pouring out of his mouth.</p><p>“So don’t talk to me about your payments when you went and married another woman and forgot all about her after she died. You never cared; that’s why I’m not letting you in, and I’m sure as hell not going to.”</p><p>His father looks stricken, as though Ned had just punched him in the face. Ned feels a sick sense of pride at his own outburst, and he can’t believe it’s taken so long to say all this. His dad opens his mouth and closes it again, clearly at a loss for words.</p><p>Ned chooses to take advantage of the silence. “You’re not selling the house. Give me a year and I’ll get a job after school. I’ll make the payments, since you’re apparently so fucking sick of it.”</p><p>The man raises an eyebrow. “You’re staying in school, then?”</p><p>Ned wants to roll his eyes at the change of subject just as much as he wants to go inside and forget this ever happened. “Yeah, I found a reason to stay. Are we done here?”</p><p>His dad scrubs a hand over his face and sighs, his shoulders dropping. “Yeah. Yeah, Ned, we’re done. I’ll make the payments and then we’ll talk about it when you finish school, alright?”</p><p>“Fine.” Ned says coldly. </p><p>“Okay.” He backs up off the porch, more guilt washing over his face than anger, but Ned doesn’t want to care. His dad turns to leave back to his rental car, sensing that it’s past time to leave, and before he unlocks the car, he says over his shoulder, loud enough for Ned to hear, “I do care, by the way.”</p><p>Ned wants to say something vile at him, anything to make him remember that he has no right to be here, but he holds his tongue and watches him drive away.</p><p>He stays on the porch for a few minutes, his reeling mind forcing him to slide his back down the door and sit on the steps. It felt great to finally tell his father how he feels, but it still hurts.</p><p>The door creaks open behind him, and he knows it’s Conor before he says anything. He doesn’t, he just sits next to Ned, wraps his arm around his shoulder and kisses his temple. “You okay?”</p><p>Ned leans on his partner’s shoulder and breathes through the fresh wave of anxiety. He takes Conor’s hand, who holds him tightly and says, “Yeah, I’m alright. It just sucks.”</p><p>Conor slowly rubs his thumb over the back of Ned’s hand. “I know it does.”</p><p> </p><p>After a few more minutes in which Ned has calmed down and is more than ready for breakfast, the two of them go back inside.</p><p>Right into Sarah’s crushing embrace.</p><p>She knocks the air out of Ned’s lungs and says passionately, “I’m so sorry, Ned, that shit’s the <em> worst </em>.”</p><p>Once he gets over his surprise, he hugs her back, grateful for the affection of the new addition to his family. “Thanks, Sarah. I’m okay, though, really.” He looks at the rest of his friends to see who told her his sad story while he was outside, and based on the nod he gives Ned, it was Darcy.</p><p>He’s surprisingly okay with it.</p><p>The others know him well enough to correctly guess that he doesn’t want to talk about the exchange yet, and he has an eerie feeling that they all heard him shouting at his father through the window.</p><p>When Sarah releases him, Victor breaks the silence by gathering plates from the dishwasher and addressing them all, “You guys ready to eat?”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Seasons change, and people change just as much. But in the heat of the summer, the colors of fall and the cold winds of winter, they all cling onto the moments that they’ll commit to memory like pages in a book.</p><p>Sometimes life is confusing and complicated, and often times things don’t get resolved in the ways they’d expect. Life is full of open ends and unraveled strings. </p><p>But that’s fine, because as the years go by, they can tie them up together.</p><p><br/>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So that’s that! I hope you can tell that I left Victor and Darcy’s relationship intentionally vague at the end, and I set up some things that are gonna be relevant later.<br/>By the way, I’m predictably titling the next series Cherry Pit, and it’s taking over my life. I don’t know how long it’ll end up being, but true to my writing style, it’s...long. Not as long as IYD, though, cause I’m capable of learning from my mistakes. I’m writing the entire thing at once, and you’ll hopefully understand why when I post it. Because of that, I’ll get to post each chapter on a weekly basis, so you’ll never be left wondering when the next chapter will be!<br/>So listen, I’m not sure when it’ll be done, and as you know, I LOVE hearing from you. So please follow me on Tumblr @d-arcy for “updates” about how things are going and send some asks! I wanna talk to you all!<br/>Okay, I’m out. See you on Tumblr, and I hope you liked this little installment :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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